Leading off today: A referee was rushed to the hospital following a medical emergency during a girls varsity basketball game Friday at Freeport High School.
Terry Twibell was officiating the Nassau County contest between Freeport and Uniondale when he had an apparent heart attack on the court, Section 8 Executive Director Pat Pizzarelli told Newsday.
A doctor attending the game started CPR and was subsequently assisted by EMTs, who revived Twibell and transported him to an area hospital in stable condition, the paper reported.
A statement from Freeport Superintendent Alice Kane said the district was informed Twibell was "conscious and speaking" on Friday.
Said Pizzarelli: "I'm very thankful that Freeport School District and the fan acted in such a quick manner to save this fella's life."
The game was suspended and did not resume on Friday.
Friday's scare was not the first time Twibell was stricken while working a game. Newsday reported in 2016 that he collapsed while officiating a game and was saved by Nassau County police officers.
The Saratoga Springs saga isn't over
On the surface, the issue that has embroiled the Saratoga Springs athletics program and the district as a whole should have ended last month. Coaches Art and Linda Kranick resigned last April and USA Track & Field handed down a rare decision in December in labeling them permanently ineligible.
However, a controversy more than three decades in the making isn't going away no matter how much district officials suggest it's over. Martin Greenberg, the attorney hired by local families to file a complaint about the Kranicks, wants the school's athletic director and superintendent to resign, the Times Union reported.
"Now it's time for the administrators to be punished," Greenberg said after the Kranicks were banned. "They should immediately resign and apologize to the parents for the harm they have done."
With other entities unwilling or unable to dole out anything ranging from criticism to punishment, no one inside the district is stepping up to accept responsibility.
It's "historical personnel matters," said district spokeswoman Maura Manny, who said Superintendent Mike Patton cannot comment. "Neither Linda nor Art Kranick are employees of our district at present. They were also not employees of our district when USA Track & Field found them to be permanently ineligible from participating in USA Track & Field activities."
Manny also said USAT&F didn't directly communicate with the district during its investigation or after releasing its findings.
From a dollars and cents standpoint, the reluctance by school officials to act makes sense. Lawyers have undoubtedly counseled the school board and administration that anything they say could wind up as evidence in a civil suit down the road. It was bad enough that the law firm the Saratoga Springs board hired to assess Greenberg's complaint found procedural lapses.
Nevertheless, certain details in the complaint compiled by Greenberg were scathing. And though the penalty imposed by USAT&F applies only to events it sanctions, the national governing body was responding to what took place within a scholastic program -- a highly unusual situation.
Given the concentration of media in the region and the Times Union's obvious willingness to stay with the story, the school district shouldn't be counting on the story to fade away.
Hundred-point night for Arizona hoopster
A Phoenix boys basketball player broke the Arizona state record for points in a basketball game by dropping 100 in Maryvale's 109-25 rout of Kofa on Tuesday.
Senior Adrian Stubbs shattered the mark of 75 points by George McCormick of Fredonia in 1966. He nearly tied the record by halftime with 70 points in the first 16 minutes.
Entering Tuesday's game, Stubbs was averaging 23.9 points, 7.1 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 5.5 steals per contest, according to MaxPreps. As a junior, the 5-foot-10 guard averaged 27.3 points.
State government now fully involved in Alabama
The situation in Alabama took an unpredictable and unfortunate turn this week when the state senate introduced a bill that would severely
limit the powers of the Alabama High School Athletic Association.
If enacted into law, Bill 73 would prevent public schools from being members of an athletic association that doesn't have comprised of a majority of members appointed by the governor, speaker of the house of representatives, president pro tempore of the senate or the lieutenant governor. Additionally, public schools would not be able to be members of an association that has eligibility rules contrary to the Alabama Administrative Procedure Act.
If adopted, the latter clause likely makes it more difficult for athletes to transfer to private schools and remain eligible to play. As a private organization, the AHSAA hasn't had to abide by the Alabama Administrative Procedure Act.
